What Happens to Destroyed Vehicles after Disaster Strikes

One of the last things on anyone’s mind, post-natural disaster, is “all those poor vehicles!”. But what’s interesting is that those damaged, battered and torn up vehicles can actually be put to good use! Case-in-point –  GM is donating 300 destroyed vehicles from Hurricane Sandy to Guardian Center in Perry, GA to help train first response workers.

“When Hurricane Sandy hit the northeast in November we had a number of new vehicles at ports and on dealer lots that were flooded,” said Chris Perry, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet Marketing. “We could not sell them, so instead of crushing them, Chevrolet is using these vehicles to help train those who respond to just such disasters.”

The 830-acre Guardian Center facility trains first-responders in disaster situations through a modern simulator. They hone their plans, skill sets, equipment and leadership in the worst situations.

“The destroyed vehicles we received from Chevrolet are an essential component of full immersion disaster response training in a metropolitan environment,” said Geoff Burkart, founder and CEO of Guardian Centers. “Chevrolet has given the millions of first-responders throughout North America the ability to exercise in metropolitan scenarios that will look and feel just like their home cities.”

“This level of realism and effectiveness cannot be overstated,” Burkart said. “You can’t expect first response professionals to conduct realistic training in a sterile environment. Every metropolitan area in the world must deal with vehicle traffic and first-responders should be provided a training environment that helps condition them for what they will face on the job.”

The vehicles that GM donated will be used in their simulation for wide area searches, traffic congestion in emergency situations, counter terrorism, public order and mass casualty exercises. The only thing you can do with a disaster is learn from it to better embrace the next one and GM is helping do exactly that.